This paper examines the European Community’s regulatory regime for insurance with a view to current efforts to achieve a greater degree of market liberalisation on the global level. It draws on Peter Holmes’ and Alasdair Young’s argument that the EU has pioneered trade liberalisation in a...

[From the Introduction]. This paper reviews single market regulation, with particular reference to the financial sector and uses this as a foundation to consider the process whereby a European market is developing. Unlike much previous analysis which has emphasized the role of state interests...

Public authorities overseeing the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation, through the Monitoring Board in place sinceearly 2009, should encourage the Foundation to make itself more directlyaccountable to the global investment community. The Monitoring Board should...

This report surveys recent empirical research on the state and development of retail banking integration in Europe. It finds a broad consensus that retail banking integration is still limited, although integration seems to have gained momentum more recently. At the same time, the survey finds...

This paper argues that transparency-boosting measures specifically tailored to commodity and commodity derivatives markets are much needed. In particular, encouraging the creation of a clearing infrastructure for OTC commodity and commodity derivatives markets would be desirable. Moreover, EU...

The financial crisis exposed dangerous weaknesses in the regulatory and oversight structure that need to be urgently corrected to restore confidence in the financial system and to keep the single market alive. Towards this end, this CEPS Task Force report puts forward three main policy...

Starting in January 2005, all companies located in the European Union (EU) have to use the accounting standards promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). At a stroke, accounting standards for the consolidated accounts of companies whose shares are listed on an EU stock...

This Policy Brief was adapted from a paper written by the three authors and presented by Bruegel Director Jean Pisani-Ferry at the informal ECOFIN Council meetings in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 1 Oct. In the brief, the authors argue that bank recapitalisation and restructuring should be a matter of...